Where will you be for Valentine’s Day? Soaking up the sun with your loved one on a beautiful beach? Or sharing the experience of an adventure somewhere exotic?
There’s no end of romantic destinations to explore with your beloved, whether you want to escape the winter chill in the balmy Caribbean, wander round the beautiful Parthenon in Athens, or take a flight over the fittingly named Heart Reef in Australia’s Whitsunday Islands.
Here are some of the most romantic Valentine’s Day getaways in the world.
Athens, Greece
Acropolis in Athens, Greece
The Greek capital in early spring, before the summer crowds arrive, is wonderfully romantic. It’s peppered with astonishing historical sites, fine museums, and cool neighborhoods.
Stroll up Acropolis Hill and take in the graceful Parthenon, with views stretching out over the city. Then head for the spectacular Acropolis Museum at the foot of the hill to gaze in awe at some of the priceless artifacts recovered from the Acropolis archaeological site.
Plaka in Athens, Greece
Wander around the pretty Plaka neighborhood of Athens and browse jewelry and craft shops. There are plenty of tavernas here for a delicious mezze lunch. Refueled, you could head to more extraordinary locations.
Both Socrates and St. Paul have trodden the stone alleyways here, and you can visit the Temple of Hephaestus and the 11th-century Church of the Holy Apostles. Or visit the Panathenaic Stadium, built in the fourth century BC and host to the Olympic Games in 1896—the first modern iteration of the Games.
Airlie Beach
Airlie Beach, Australia
Laid-back Airlie Beach, a harbor town on Queensland’s endless, reef-fringed coast, is the perfect romantic destination for lovers of the outdoors.
For lush greenery, head inland to Conway National Park, a magical landscape of mangroves and forest, where you could spot sulphur-crested cockatoos and emerald doves from the hiking trails. Or catch some sunshine on Whitehaven Beach, where the silica sand is almost blindingly white and the water a shimmering aquamarine.
Great Barrier Reef, Australia
The wonders of the Great Barrier Reef are easily accessed from Airlie Beach. Snorkel together over dazzling coral gardens and look out for sea turtles, giant manta rays, and fish in every color of the rainbow. Or take a glass-bottomed kayak out and enjoy the underwater world without getting wet.
Possibly the most romantic activity from Airlie Beach is to take a scenic flight over the Whitsunday Islands, where the white sand and turquoise water blend into marbled swirls as you look down. Have your camera ready for the fly-past of Heart Reef, a natural wonder shaped like a heart.
Key West, Florida
Key West, Florida
Quirky, eccentric Key West is a fabulous place in which to celebrate love. You could visit the Spanish colonial villa where writer Ernest Hemingway lived, or snap a selfie at the buoy indicating the southernmost point of the continental United States.
Stroll through the Key West Tropical Forest & Botanical Garden, admiring tropical blooms and colorful butterflies. Or take to the water on a sea kayak, paddling through shady green mangroves, looking out for birdlife, iguanas, and nurse sharks.
Head to Fort Zachary Taylor State Park, one of the best beaches in Key West, for a day of snorkeling, swimming, and lounging in the shade of the pine trees, with Cuban sandwiches and ice-cold beers on hand. Or try some of the food for which Key West is known: sweet pink shrimp, juicy stone crab claws, tangy conch ceviche, and of course, irresistible Key lime pie.
Buenos Aires, Argentina
La Boca in Buenos Aires, Argentina
What could be more romantic than celebrating your love in the home of the sultry tango? Elegant Buenos Aires is a thrilling city to explore. Head to La Boca, an open-air museum where famous Argentinian figures wave from the balconies of brightly colored houses and tango dancers strut their stuff in the street.
Soak up local history at the dusky pink Casa Rosada, from which Eva Peron famously addressed her supporters, who were packed into the Plaza de Mayo below. If you’re interested in the tragic story of the country’s former First Lady, you can see her family tomb in the leafy La Recoleta cemetery, still a pilgrimage for many today.
Buenos Aires, Argentina
No visit to Buenos Aires would be complete without trying the local cuisine. Head for one of the many asado grills, where you can taste the famous Argentinian beef grilled over hot coals, then wash it down with a velvety Malbec.
Cozumel
Playa Mia, Cozumel
Sparkling seas, white sand beaches, and rainbow-hued coral reefs make sun-drenched Cozumel the perfect Valentine’s Day destination.
Take a boat trip to El Cielo, one of the most beautiful beaches in Cozumel, and swim over the reefs together on the lookout for sea turtles.
Or take an off-road tour to Punta Sur Eco Beach Park, where you’ll see everything from jungly landscapes to a lagoon inhabited by crocodiles, with a stop for snorkeling among shoals of dazzling fish.
San Gervasio, Cozumel
Explore the Mayan ruins of San Gervasio, dating back to 100 BC and originally a shrine dedicated to the fertility goddess Ixchel. Or take an excursion to the mainland to visit Tulum, one of the most famous Mayan sites, and swim in the cool depths of the Casa Tortuga cenote.
Explore Mexico’s rich culinary scene together in a margarita-making workshop, where you can create specialties to impress friends back home. Better still, join a chocolate-making class to learn about the Mayan and Aztec chocolate-making techniques. Who can resist a chocolate martini?
Tortola, British Virgin Islands
The Baths on Virgin Gorda
If your travels bring you to the British Virgin Islands on Valentine’s Day, there’s only one place to go for true romantics: The Baths on Virgin Gorda, a short hop from Tortola.
Here, giant granite boulders are tumbled along a stretch of white, sandy beach and sea that’s an impossible shade of aquamarine.
You start at one end of the trail and pick your way following guide ropes and ladders under, over, and through the rocks, sometimes knee-deep in water, and at others, emerging in front of an exquisite, sheltered bay.
The Baths on Virgin Gorda
There’s a real sense of adventure here, and if you have a robust, waterproof camera, you’ll be able to snap real “castaway” photos of the two of you. Snorkeling here is also one of the best things to do in Tortola.
Reward your efforts with a rum punch at Poor Man’s Bar, a shack on the beach at the end of the trail.
Grand Cayman
Seven Mile Beach, Grand Cayman
Only couples with a sense of irony might want to boast that they’ve been to Hell on Valentine’s Day—but in Grand Cayman, it’s possible.
This slightly sinister field of jagged limestone shards does indeed have a “hellish” aura, but it’s fun to visit—and you can mail a postcard home with a stamp from “Hell”, should you wish.
For the ultimate romantic tropical getaway, unwind on gorgeous Seven Mile Beach, a blissful and seemingly endless stretch of sand, fringed by swaying coconut palms and casuarina pine trees. The sand is white, the sea turquoise, and romance is in the air.
Stingray City, Grand Cayman
When you’ve had enough time on the sand, one of the best things to do in Grand Cayman is to take a tour to Stingray City, a shallow sandbar where gentle stingrays gather, lured by the promise of food.
Feeding the rays and feeling them brush past your legs is a wonderful experience to share.
The Galapagos Islands
The Galapagos Islands
If you love wildlife, there’s no more thrilling place to spend Valentine’s Day with your loved one than the volcanic Galapagos Islands, scattered across the ocean off the coast of Ecuador.
A visit to the islands is a life-changing experience that you’ll never forget. Hike rocky trails on the lookout for blue-footed boobies and colorful, spiny land iguanas.
Stroll along Galapagos beaches in shades of white, ocher, rust-red, and olive-green, being careful to step around the many sea lions and their pups that bask there.
Blue-footed booby in the Galapagos
The Galapagos belongs to the wildlife, which is completely unconcerned about humans, and you’ll have opportunities to photograph animals and birds like nowhere else.
There’s shared adventure to be had under the water, too, with thrilling snorkeling opportunities either from the beach or from a boat.
You’re likely to see black-tipped sharks, graceful sea turtles, shoals of angelfish, and Galapagos penguins, which are inclined to pop up next to you in the water when you least expect it.
Dominican Republic
Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic
Hispanic culture meets the Great Outdoors on the island of the Dominican Republic, a wonderful place to explore with your partner.
The Dominican Republic is known for its coffee, so you could visit a coffee plantation together, and learn all about the coffee-making process from picking to roasting.
Tour the rugged countryside in an off-road buggy, or head to Damajagua Waterfall for a day of splashing around in the different layers of the falls, sliding from one to the other down smooth rocks—if you dare.
Cayo Arena, Dominican Republic
Paddle through tranquil mangrove forests in search of gentle manatees and tropical birds, or take a catamaran cruise, wind in your hair, to Cayo Arena, a tiny sandpit fringed by coral reefs.
The water here is crystal clear, and you’ll see electric blue surgeonfish, jauntily striped sergeant majors, angel fish, snappers, and damselfish.
Read: Most Romantic Cities in the World
Grand Cayman
Are you inspired to plan a Valentine’s Day getaway for you and your beloved? Browse our Valentine’s Day cruises and plan your romantic escape.
